Democrats in the House of Representatives are preparing to vote on legislation Tuesday to revoke Donald Trump‘s national emergency declaration earlier this month, which granted him executive powers to reallocate military funding for the construction of his US-Mexico border wall.
The measure is expected to pass easily in the Democrat-controlled House, after which the Senate will have its say, where only a handful of Republican defections would be required to see it handed on to the president, who is likely to veto it at the risk of further damaging his credibility with voters.
President Trump is meanwhile en route to Vietnam for a second nuclear summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as his estranged former fixer Michael Cohen appears before the Senate Intelligence Committee to give testimony behind closed doors.
Financial markets are unlikely to react much to the summit between Trump and Kim, according to a research note by Robert Carnell, ING’s chief economist for the Asia-Pacific.
“We may (who knows) see a historic ending of the state of war between the two Koreas, but that has been a paper war for decades,” Carnell wrote.
“We may get some further offers to denuclearize, but I think we already had this, so what would be new? And there may be some carrot of sanctions removal from the U.S., though no doubt contingent on further progress.
Reuters
A barber in Hanoi, Vietnam, is offering customers Donald Trump- and Kim Jong-un- inspired hairdos ahead of the summit set to take place between the president of the United States and the North Korean leader this week.
The haircuts are being offered at Tuan Duong Beauty Academy in the Vietnamese capitol, the Associated Press reports - and they are free.
To achieve the President Trump look, customers undergo hair-bleaching to mimic the yellow-orange blonde seen on the US leader.
Those opting for the Kim Jong-un option have the sides of their hair buzzed short, with the hair on top kept long and shaped into a square-like shape.
CNN is reporting security activity outside of the Metropole Hotel where Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un are expected to meet on Thursday.
Officials are sweeping the area for mines, the news outlet reported, reviewing the hotel’s courtyard for unexploded ordnances.
Reporters took photos of two military personnel standing on a grassy patch and observing a tool used to detect mines.
After long journeys to Vietnam, U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are in place for their second summit to address perhaps the world’s biggest security challenge: Kim’s pursuit of a nuclear program that stands on the verge of realistically threatening targets around the planet.
Although many experts are skeptical Kim will give up the nuclear weapons he likely sees as his best guarantee of continued rule, there was a palpable, carnival-like excitement among many in Hanoi as the final preparations were made for the meeting. There were also huge traffic jams in the already congested streets.
The two leaders are to meet over two days, first at dinner on Wednesday followed by meetings on Thursday.
AP
A New York Times report has claimed the president’s former attorney Michael Cohen will describe the extent of his “lies, racism and cheating,” as well as his criminal conduct while in the White House, during his public testimony on Wednesday.
The Times reported Cohen “is prepared to describe Mr Trump making racist statements as well as lying or cheating in business”. He previously told a magazine outlet the president said “black people are too stupid to vote for me” during the 2016 election.
The newspaper, which spoke to an anonymous source that had been briefed on Cohen’s upcoming public testimony, also revealed he would “describe the president inflating or devaluing his net worth”.
Donald Trump will veto a pair of gun reform bills seeking to enhance nationwide background checks if they pass the US Senate, the White House has announced, citing “burdensome requirements on certain firearm transactions.”
The president had previously stated his support for strengthening federal background checks on gun sales while discussing the bipartisan measure with Senator John Cornyn at his Florida golf club last year, one week after a gunman killed 17 people inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school, which is located just 40 miles away from Mr Trump’s exclusive property.
His administration reversed that stance in a statement on Monday, however, as it appeared H.R. 8 and H.R. 1112 — the two background check bills making their way through Congress — could pass the US Senate with several Republicans possibly supporting either legislation.
The Oversight Committee voted Tuesday to approve subpoenas to the heads of Justice, Homeland Security and Health and Human Services. With Democrats as a majority, the authorization is expected, but it’s still not clear whether the subpoenas will actually be served.
If they are, they would be some of the first issued in the new Congress. House Democrats have promised to hold the administration aggressively to account. The committee’s chairman, Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, has pledged to press the administration for documents and testimony on a wide swath of issues, but family separation was among his first priorities.
As the US House of Representatives begins a bid to reject Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tweeted the following message quoting the president himself saying “I didn’t need to do this.”
Just a quick update that Michael Cohen’s public testimony has been moved to 10am EST on Wednesday. Be sure to keep up with The Independent’s live coverage tomorrow as we bring you the latest.
Democrats in the US Senate have just introduced legislation demanding a public report on the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
The White House has refused to press Saudi officials on the matter, leading to fierce criticism from lawmakers on either side of the political aisle:
Trump has just tweeted the following the message from his hotel in Hanoi:
“Just arrived in Vietnam,” the president wrote. “Thank you to all of the people for the great reception in Hanoi. Tremendous crowds, and so much love!”
As Michael Cohen testifies in front of Congress, Senate investigators are chasing David Geovanis, a US businessman who has held a Russian passport since 2014 and was last seen by his family in the US in 2017, to talk about his relationship with Donald Trump, according to a new report.
At least two witnesses who spoke to the US Senate Intelligence Committee provided details about the president’s past interactions with Mr Geovanis, who previously worked for Oleg Deripaska — the same Russian oligarch whose meetings with former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort are also the subject of scrutiny by investigators, CNN reported on Thursday.
Michael Cohen is reportedly planning on testifying against the president during his Congressional testimonies this week, indicating that Donald Trump engaged in criminal conduct while in the White House.
Also in Hanoi is Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, pictured below shaking hands with the Foreign Minister of Vietnam, Pham Binh Minh:
Donald Trump spent 20 hours aboard Air Force One before deplaning in Hanoi. The US president will enjoy a quiet night before tomorrow’s kickoff of meetings, dinners and receptions leading up to his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Here’s video of Mr Trump initially boarding for his international trip earlier this week:
Donald Trump has touched down in Hanoi, Vietnam, where he is expected to deplane momentarily. He is currently waving to media.
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